Miles Morales and his coterie of cartoon colleagues have come to save not only the day, not only the multiverse, but the future of cinema itself. In a year that has menacingly bombarded audiences with computer graphic heavy but imaginatively dead action movies and lifeless "live-action" remakes of animated classics, Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse has swung into the scene to remind us of the wonders animation can bring — even to the overexposed superhero genre.
Why make worlds realistic when they can look like these?
Where does Spider-Man Across The Spider-verse pick up?
You may want to revisit the first film, Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse, as its sequel begins roundabout its teasing final shot and that curious post-credit scene.
This time, we begin with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), who is her universe’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man while ducking the suspicions of her cop father (Shea Whigham). But when fallout from her cross-multiverse adventure with Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) causes an anomaly to pop up in her city, she joins forces with a super-army of Spideys to set things right (and in their proper dimensions). A special portal gizmo from this group is how she’s able to pop back in on Miles.
Pop! Credit: Sony Pictures
For his part, Miles is trying to balance living up to his parents' standards while battling baddies as his superhero alter ego. In pursuit of one comical "villain of the week" (Jason Schwartzman) he and Gwen end up in a headquarters full of Spideys. (Think the Citadel of Ricks from Rick and Morty.) There, Miles bumps heads (and ideologies) with angsty Miguel O'Hara (Oscar Isaac), who was introduced in that post-credit moment and is now a grim extreme of what Spider-Man can be. So, Miles must fight for the future he wants to see, even if it pits the Spider-Verse against him.
Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse is a marvel of modern animation.
The first film played with comic book and graffiti inspirations to bring to life Miles’ art and his point of view. In the sequel, audiences are whisked into other worlds, where the animation shifts to distinguish their heroes from each other.
Gwen’s world is one of bisexual lighting — a dynamic color palette of blues, purples, and reds — and an impressionistic style that resembles watercolors. The background settings are abstract, sometimes splotches of paint and simple shapes. And the colors change as the mood of the scene does: A somber scene in blue will blush radiantly into pink over a heartfelt hug.
Other characters' worlds have sharper lines, reflective of sharper attitudes toward fate and duty. India-based Spider-Man Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni) has a world alive with vibrant, warm colors, reflecting his verve and whimsy. Another standout is the world of Spider-Punk, which is London, but specifically a London made up of paper collages. Spider-Punk himself (Daniel Kaluuya) has the edgy air of a zine come to life, with the rough edges of torn paper as his outline.
When these worlds collide, it can be visually cacophonic. But that, too is intentional, using these styles — and their collisions — to reinforce the ideological battle between these heroes. In the film's centerpiece, hundreds of Spider-People collide in various quips and slings and poses. The result is frankly overwhelming, but rather than being an eyesore (looking at you Quantumania!), it made me wish I could just watch the sequence over and over on a loop, absorbing every elemtent. The details here are abundant and lovingly layered in, be they obscure references to forgotten Spider-Men, dialog boxes that add another layer to a character, or graphic footnotes that pop up to explain a bit of Spidey-slang.
Watching these sequences is a revelation. Movie theaters have become overrun by Disney branded merchandise labeling itself as cinema. Superhero movies desperately aspire to indulgent spectacle without an apparent care for beauty or emotion, while fairytales are reimagined "realistically", becoming less fantastical and more flesh and blood. Spider-Verse reminds us of the power of animation, how truly even the sky may not be a limit if you can imagine beyond it.
And without those limitations made of flesh and dreadful reality, Spider-Verse grows to be something greater more exciting and more dangerous than creatively bankrupt dreck that's been masquerading as blockbuster entertainment. Every burst of color carries meaning and emotion; every gesture born through computer animation brings character instead of a fruitless pursuit of manufactured reality. It's an explosion of art, sometimes goofy, sometimes gorgeous, but overall glorious.
Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld lead a sensational voice cast.
While the animation alone is enough for a ticket prices to see the sequel, the voice cast is once more impeccable. Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld reprise their roles with earnest emotion and teen angst, which brings their flirtations to that satisfyingly awkward space of teenage passion and fumbling. Naturally, there will be a Spider-Man who comments on this with a meta quip!
Gwen Stacy and Peter B. Parker in "'Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse." Credit: Sony Pictures
Returning as Peter B. Parker — who is a new dad! — Jake Johnson brings a rumbling joy that is enchanting. New to the cast is Karan Soni, who is downright charming as a teen dream of a Spider-Man. Issa Rae plays the dynamic Jessica Drew, bringing no-nonsense vibes and a solid intensity to this motherly role. Isaac digs deeper into Miguel — who was little more than a meme joke in the first film — going dark with a snarl that is scary, and admittedly sexy. But the breakout among this bunch is Daniel Kaluuya as Spider-Punk, aka Hobie Brown.
Slinging webs and Cockney rhyming slang, Hobie is an exciting new addition to the Spider-family in part because of his ludicrously inconsistent ideology, but also because you can feel Kaluuya smirking through a cheekily surly performance that refuses to take this character too seriously. (Think of the fun Nic Cage had Spider-Man Noir.)
Be warned: Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse is darker than the first film.
As you'd likely expect from a Spidey movie, there's plenty of quips, whimsy, and awesome action sequences full of dizzying whiz-bang. But with that comes the pain and grief that has been a part of Spider-Man's story in just about every incarnation — which the second act makes very clear! Like the live-action Spider-Man No Way Home, Miles and his Spidey fam touch on these tropes of their similar origin stories.
Rather than feeling tedious, it feels like a web of fate closing in on Miles, demanding a future he rages against. And fans might be shocked with how this movie chooses to leave us dangling in this web. It's a bold move that makes Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse not only one of the most enthralling movies of the summer, but also one of the most stressful.
Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse demands to be seen — over and over.
We should take a moment to note how incredible this achievement is. Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse was a near-universally revered film, boasting praise from critics and audiences. The anticipation for its sequel was skyscraper high, especially as its release date got bumped from 2022 to 2023. As compelling casting announcements and tantalizing teasers and promising promo rolled out, the fandom has grown downright giddy in excitement. But how could Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse top its predecessor with the bar — and our hopes — so high?
Directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson make it look easy, when it was anything but. Remarkably, they've maintained the clumsy but kinetic romantic chemistry between Miles and Gwen. They've expanded the world of this film series without losing a grip on what drew audiences to it to begin with. The animation is exhilarating, dynamic in its action, expressive in its gestures and colors, and chaotic without being confounding. The voice cast matches the energy of the aesthetic with performances that are playful yet poignant. Then, the story, penned by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Dave Callaham, revisits themes, characters, and plot points from the first film, while avoiding feeling like a lazy retread. Instead, these recurrences probe deeper into the dilemma of being Spider-Man.
Altogether, this makes Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse not only wildly entertaining, but also the kind of movie that demands to be gnawed on, considered, and seen over and over. In short, it's a stunner, perfect for summer fun — and pondering afterwards.
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse opens in theaters June 2.
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